


Angel: Shattered (Reconstructed)

by withoutstars



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: F/M, Post-Season/Series Finale, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28146591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withoutstars/pseuds/withoutstars
Summary: Angel and his crew regroup after the fall of Wolfram and Hart, in a script for a season premiere of the season six that never was. Assumes all series canon, but ignores all the later stories including the After The Fall comics.(In truth it was written before the After The Fall comics. See end notes for more details.)
Relationships: Angel/Nina Ash





	Angel: Shattered (Reconstructed)

TEASER

START RECAP MONTAGE

(Note: should all be reused footage)

A stock exterior night shot of the Wolfram and Hart offices.

NARRATOR (CORBELL)

(v.o.)

Wolfram and Hart was the most successful law firm in Los Angeles.

A demon walks through the Wolfram and Hart lobby, talking on a cell phone.

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

It was a good deal more than that.

Quick flashes of violence, people crying...

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

Wolfram and Hart caused, or advocated for, most of the evil in L.A. and the world.

Someone stalks through an alley. We see Angel's face as his name is pronounced.

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

They were known and opposed only by a few, including a vampire with a soul: Angel.

We see quick shots of ANGEL, FRED, WESLEY in their offices, with shots of Wolfram and Hart's main lobby.

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

So Wolfram and Hart distracted them, by pretending to put them in charge. It worked. For awhile.

A still image of CORDELIA flashes to a negative and fades to black. Images of Fred and Wesley do the same.

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

One by one, their numbers were thinned.

We see the Circle of the Black Thorn at their gathering.

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

Eventually, Angel woke to their peril and challenged Wolfram and Hart directly.

Angel battles Hamilton. Spike takes on the Legion of the Fell Brethren. Illyria destroys Vail.

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

In one night, Angel and his companions destroyed the power elite on Earth.

FADE OUT.

Over a black screen:

NARRATOR

(v.o., cont'd)

The price was high.

END RECAP MONTAGE

EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT

CLOSE on a single humanoid demon lying on its stomach, badly wounded. It tries to life one hand, coughs up some black blood, and dies. PULL BACK to reveal at least five other demons, also violently dead.

WIDE SHOT (CGI): The alley is a wreck. Dead demons lie everywhere, savagely killed: burned, stabbed, dismembered, suffocated with barb wire. A shape in the background, faintly smoking, might be the remains of a dragon. We hear ROARS and SCREECHING in the distance.

CUT TO another four or five dead demons (can be the same from the previous shot, rearranged) and PAN to reveal ANGEL, SPIKE, ILLYRIA, and GUNN, sitting on the ground, leaning against each other for support. They're all burned, blasted, and badly wounded, staring off into the distance. Gunn has his eyes closed; we can't tell if he's alive or dead. Only Illyria still watches the battlefield.

SPIKE

Did we win?

ILLYRIA

No. This is only a lull. They will regroup and attack again.

SPIKE

(Re: Gunn)

He won't last through another fight.

Gunn is just barely alive - panting, in great pain, maybe hallucinating. But he's smiling.

GUNN

Never...a...delayed blast...fireball...when you need one.

ILLYRIA

What?

SPIKE

Angel. We have to move. Now. I don't intend to die sitting down.

Angel staggers painfully to his feet. Spike and Illyria join him.

ANGEL

We're not going to die today.

SPIKE

We're not?

ANGEL

No.

Angel and Spike haul Gunn to his feet, supporting him. Gunn tries to stifle a scream of pain.

SPIKE

For the last 24 hours you've been telling us "We're all going to die horrible painful deaths."

Angel silently points out an exit to Illyria, who tosses aside some debris to clear a path.

SPIKE

(cont'd)

We killed off all the elite of Wolfram and Hart in one night. We've pounded hundreds of demons into paste...

ANGLE ON ILLYRIA, who's moving stiffly and not looking up.

SPIKE

(v.o., cont'd)

...even Blue over there is exhausted...

Back to Spike and Angel --

SPIKE

(cont'd)

...and we're about to get attacked by Hell's Own Elite Reserves. And _now_ you've decided we're not going to die?

ANGEL

Yup.

SPIKE

Any particular reason?

ANGLE: All four of them in a power shot. They're wet, dirty, exhausted, bruised, burned, and bloody. This is not a sexy image.

ANGEL

It would be too easy.

They stagger out of frame.

FADE OUT.

CREDITS

ACT ONE

EXT. FREEWAY - DAY

Establishing shot. I-405 (or any LA major freeway) in pre-dawn Monday morning is always a parking lot, but smoke and sirens might indicate something is amiss. We focus on one car in particular...

INT. CAR - DAY

NINA, Angel's werewolf ex, is stuck in LA's morning traffic jam, flipping radio stations. She flips to a news station and hears:

NEWSCASTER

(v.o., on speaker)

...police have not eliminated terrorism as a possible cause. No survivors have yet been found. The death toll is not yet known, but law firm Wolfram and Hart had at least five thousand employees working in their main offices...

Nina grips the steering wheel and SCREAMS. Off her reaction:

INT. SEWER TUNNEL - DAY

Angel and Spike are half supporting, half carrying Gunn through the tunnel, splashing through an inch or two of muck and mire. Illyria follows them, watching behind them for attackers. All are armed except for Gunn. Illyria carries Gunn's homemade axe. We hear, distantly, the same ROARING AND SNARLING from the teaser.

SPIKE

Don't suppose you could create a little dimensional whoosis for us, oh favourite ex-demon-god of mine?

ILLYRIA

You stole that ability from me.

SPIKE

Right. Remind us never to save your life again. Got any other tricks up your impressively tight sleeves?

ILLYRIA

No. We need a strategy.

Angel suddenly pauses, nearly toppling Gunn and Spike.

ANGEL

Then again, maybe we don't.

SPIKE

That's right, strategy not really your thing. Now repeatedly bashing your head against a brick wall until it breaks, that's the kind of plan you can really sink your teeth into. So to speak.

ANGEL

Listen.

They do. We only hear the same roaring and snarling in the distance.

SPIKE

Aside from the rabid catfight symphony...

Angel shrugs off Gunn and leans him gently against a sewer wall.

ANGEL

How long ago were we last attacked?

SPIKE

About fifteen minutes ago.

ILLYRIA

About three hours ago. Your fatigue is skewing your sense of time. We haven't been attacked since we entered the tunnels. We have been moving for hours.

SPIKE

Got an internal clock, do you?

ILLYRIA

After a fashion. My heart beats sixty times per minute. The calculation is a simple one.

ANGEL

Fine. Why haven't we been killed yet?

SPIKE

Maybe they can't find us?

ANGEL

They could easily enough the first time.

SPIKE

We're underground! We're moving too quick for them!

ILLYRIA

We're dragging a 210 pound piece of semiconscious human deadweight with us.

SPIKE

Excellent. I'm surrounded by geniuses. So enlighten me. Why I haven't we been attacked?

ANGEL

Maybe they're distracted.

SPIKE

With what?

ILLYRIA

Each other.

We CLOSE on Illyria's inhuman eyes, then PAN THROUGH THE ROOF (CGI), through several layers of rock, a subbasement, a parking garage, and lots of floors of a skyscraper to the roof. There's a pitched demon-on-demon battle going on, involving scores if not hundreds of demons, all beating the crap out of each other. Over this, we hear:

SPIKE

(v.o.)

Wouldn't that be lovely.

Back to Spike:

SPIKE

(cont'd)

Meanwhile, Gunn's still bleeding to death while we stand around and blather.

ILLYRIA

Do you have no healers?

ANGEL

We lost our last one.

SPIKE

Hospital?

ANGEL

Not even remotely secure.

SPIKE

You must know _somebody_ who patches up the nearly-dead around here.

ANGEL

No...but I bet I know who does.

Angel digs into a pocket, pulls out a cell phone, and fumbles with it for a moment, while muttering:

ANGEL

Useless, bloody...where's the on button?

From off-frame, Illyria reaches over, takes the cell phone, crushes it in one hand. Surprised, Angel looks up at Illyria and Spike, who are wearing disgusted expressions.

SPIKE

That's a Wolfram-and-Hart-issue mobile phone, you git. Think maybe they can track us when you use it?

Off a sheepish Angel:

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - DAY

GWEN, a high-end thief and something more, is apparently moving. Her luxurious apartment is stripped bare and filled with boxes. A couple women are loading a dolly while a third helps Gwen seal another box.

GWEN

Thanks, Sharon. Ladies, I'm declaring it Beer O'Clock. I'll catch up in a moment.

The other women smile and exit while Gwen wraps up an object, the small figurine from the fourth season episode when we last saw her. After the room goes quiet, Illyria steps into the background silently, sizing up Gwen.

GWEN

(without looking up)

You have five seconds to tell me who you are and while you're here.

ILLYRIA

Gwen Raiden.

GWEN

No, dear, that's who I am. I asked who...

Gwen turns to face Illyria. There's a moment.

GWEN

(Cont'd)

...you are. Fred, right? Honey, you've changed.

ILLYRIA

I am Illyria. I have a message for you from Angel.

GWEN

And I'm supposed to believe this because?

ILLYRIA

(quoting Angel)

"Because he's the weirdest person you know."

GWEN

I can't argue with that. But I probably can't help.

(holding up her bare hands)

I don't have the spark I used to.

ILLYRIA

We need a healer, at once. We hoped you knew of one.

GWEN

Who's hurt?

ILLYRIA

His name is Charles Gunn.

Beat.

GWEN

Angel, you sorry son of a bitch.

Off a deeply pissed off Gwen:

EXT. CITY SIDEWALK - DAY

Nina's car screeches to a halt by the sidewalk. Nina leaps out and stops next to a ditch, staring.

NINA

Dear God.

The former Wolfram and Hart offices are a smoking ruin. It looks like the buildings imploded. Nothing moves.

NINA

Angel...

With an audible CLICK, a gun is pointed at Nina's head. The gun belongs to a guy who looks like an MBA student at UCLA, except there's maybe something a little odd about how he stands and speaks. His name, we will learn, is CORBELL.

CORBELL

He's not here. Care to tell me where I might find him?

Off Nina's horror, we

FADE OUT.

ACT TWO

Resume. Corbell is holding a gun at Nina's temple.

NINA

Has it occurred to you that you're pointing a gun to my head in broad daylight on a public street?

CORBELL

It has. If you're worried about the cops, don't be. They're a little busy right now.

NINA

Who the hell are you?

CORBELL

That's a complicated question, I'm afraid. And my arm is getting tired. Where's Angel?

NINA

How would I know?

CORBELL

Well, you're his girlfriend. I thought he might have told you.

NINA

You're behind the times. He broke up with me.

CORBELL

Really?

NINA

Handed me plane tickets and ordered me to fly my entire family to a remote lake town in northern Wisconsin and not come back. Sounded like a breakup to me.

CORBELL

(lowers his gun)

But you didn't go.

NINA

To northern Wisconsin?

CORBELL

I see your point. Well, Nina, my dear, it doesn't sound like you can help me, but I never waste a potential bargaining chip. My name is Corbell, and I'll have to ask you to accompany me.

NINA

If it's to watch you drown headfirst in your own smarmy filth, I'll be glad to take pictures. I'm good with a camera.

A scaled, clawed hand grabs Nina around the neck. Reverse to show Nina's point of view: a face out of nightmare, with shark-like skin, cat eyes, and lots of horns and teeth.

CORBELL

Tempting. But I've already had my glamour shots.

Nina screams - ROARS - at Corbell. It's not a normal scream; there's a hint of wolf howl and lion roar in it, her inner werewolf leaking through under stress.

It startles Corbell just enough for Nina to break free and dive into her car. She races off.

Corbell watches her go, back to his human face.

CORBELL

I'm going to need a few more people.

INT./EXT. CAR - DAY

Nina, wide-eyed, drives like a maniac. Her breathing has just started to slow when she sees-

NINA'S POV: A LARGE DEMON stands in the middle of the road - Nina's about to hit it! The demon's maw opens in happy anticipation.

Nina throws her car into a sharp skid, missing the demon, but wrecking the car against the side of a building.

Nina exits the car, dazed and bruised. She's about to run again when several demons block her path. Corbell approaches.

CORBELL

Now. As I was saying...

Off Nina:

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - DAY

Angel and Spike have joined Illyria and Gwen in Gwen's apartment. Gunn is also there, laid out on a couch, unconscious and breathing shallowly. A man in dark work slacks and a white shirt is attending Gunn, poking and prodding with various small, unidentifiable and definitely unmedical instruments. Angel looks on, concerned. Across the room, Spike and Illyria tend their own wounds.

SPIKE

(re: Gwen)

Nice looking girl.

Illyria doesn't respond.

SPIKE

(cont'd)

Don't supposed you have any idea who she is?

ILLYRIA

A thief. And a lightning-catcher.

SPIKE

That any relation to a lightning bug?

ILLYRIA

They occurred in my day. Certain beings could harness the lightning, bend it to their will. Start fires. Create death.

SPIKE

Harness the lightning. Throw electrical bolts around?

(Off Illyria's silence)

Nice trick if you know how.

ILLYRIA

She no longer knows. I doubt she ever did.

SPIKE

Do you ever stop speaking in riddles?

ILLYRIA

The true lightning catchers, they can control their powers by will. Those with weaker wills cannot control their power. High emotion, even simple proximity can cause them to discharge.

(re: Gwen)

She wears a machine, a mechanical device that suppresses her power. She would hardly need such a thing if she could control the lightning on her own.

SPIKE

Wow. She must be a live-wire in bed.

Illyria glares at Spike silently.

SPIKE

Just a thought.

Gwen, who was on the other side of the room and hasn't heard any of this, watches the healer work for a moment more and joins Angel.

GWEN

That's my guy you smashed up.

ANGEL

It wasn't me. And entering the fight was his decision.

GWEN

Oh yeah. His decision.

(imitating Angel)

'Hey, muscle-guy, I need some cannon fodder.'

ANGEL

Gwen...

GWEN

I mean: no vampire strength, no immortality, no weird-ass magic freakazoid power. Great candidate to go into major battles and get killed.

ANGEL

I thought you were the one who told Gunn that he was more than just the muscle.

GWEN

I also treated him that way.

ANGEL

Gwen, for the last year...

GWEN

I know. He's been your number one legal beagle at Wolfram and Hart. And he was so nervous about making sure you kept it that way that he sold out one of his friends to keep his big legal brain intact.

(off Angel's reaction)

What, you haven't seen me in awhile and you think I haven't been around?

ANGEL

Look, I know you have feelings for him...

GWEN

Sweetie, you know jack about me or my feelings. Or him, for that matter.

Angel wants to explain, but thinks better of it.

ANGEL

Who's the doctor?

GWEN

His name is Samuel. He's patched me up a few times. The rules are that he can completely heal almost any wounds from violence in a day or two, but he _can't be disturbed._ By anything. By anyone. If his concentration is broken before he's done, all the wounds come back, and then some.

ANGEL

So we need to give him some peace and...

A cell phone rings loudly.

ANGEL

(cont'd)

quiet.

Gwen answers the phone, listens for a moment, says something inaudible and hangs up.

ANGEL

What is it?

GWEN

Apparently we need to turn on the TV.

ANGEL

Survivor rerun?

Gwen walks over and flips on the television, quickly muting the volume. Spike and Angel join her. We can't see or hear the TV screen, but their expressions speak volumes.

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

Handheld shot. The demon fight has poured into the streets. Innocent bystanders are screaming and running around as demons beat the crap out of each other, trash cars and other stuff lying around, and generally behave like rioting college sports fans.

GWEN

(v.o.)

Sort of.

And then the camera zooms in on a knot of people. Nina is bound and gagged, with a few of Corbell's cronies surrounding her. Corbell is smiling and holding up a cheerful handmade sign: HI ANGEL!

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - DAY

GWEN

Friend of yours?

ANGEL

Never saw him before.

SPIKE

Isn't that your Milkbone girl?

ANGEL

It's her.

SPIKE

So we go rescue her?

The music swells...

ANGEL

No.

Off Spike and Gwen's surprise, we

FADE OUT.

ACT THREE

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - DAY

Resume. Spike and Gwen are looking at Angel, mystified.

SPIKE

We're not going to save her?

ANGEL

No.

SPIKE

Have you lost all your heroic parts, or just the ones that relate to the people you care for?

ANGEL

Spike, look at the TV and tell me what you see.

SPIKE

Mass riots, mayhem, and your girlfriend tied up in an un-fun way.

ANGEL

How about _broad daylight_?

SPIKE

Oh.

GWEN

That is weird, though. When's the last time you saw a bunch of demons parading around in the middle of the day on the local news? Aren't they supposed to burn up or something?

ANGEL

No, that's just vampires. Most other kinds of demons can survive in daylight, no problem.

GWEN

But they don't like sunlight.

SPIKE

Bad for the complexion. And do you know how hard it is to find a pair of Ray-Bans to fit some demons? Especially the ones with eighteen eyes.

ANGEL

It's like they've ben let off a leash. Whatever kept them quiet and in the dark, isn't holding them back any more. And we can't fight them in the day.

SPIKE

So we do...what? Sit around and wait for some other highly tanned heroes to swoop in?

ANGEL

Wait for nightfall. Try to figure out where they're keeping their hostages.

GWEN

Um, guys?

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

Handheld camera. Corbell has turned his sign over. It now reads: THE ALLEY. MIDNIGHT.

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - DAY

SPIKE

Seems straightforward enough. Except for the "Hello this is a trap" subtext.

ANGEL

And we can't leave Gunn alone. Gwen, will you stay with him?

GWEN

I would anyway.

ANGEL

Good. I'll leave Illyria with you. Spike and I will go negotiate with Sign Boy.

GWEN

You're going to negotiate with a demonic kidnapper?

Angel hefts a sword. Spike grabs Gunn's axe.

GWEN

Oh. That kind of negotiation.

CUT TO:

EXTERIOR L.A. TRANSITION SHOT - DAY TO NIGHT

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Samuel is still muttering inaudibly over Gunn. Gwen watches from a comfortable chair, slouched, eyes half-closed. Illyria, inhumanly alert and poised, stands nearby.

ILLYRIA

You are clearly no warrior.

GWEN

(amused)

What makes you say that?

ILLYRIA

Would a warrior sit so casually while on guard? Especially when watching over something...someone you care for.

GWEN

Oh? And what would you know of caring for someone?

Beat.

ILLYRIA

Very little.

GWEN

Thought so. That being the case, why are you bothering with a petty little fight like this?

ILLYRIA

A debt. Wolfram and Hart killed someone who was aiding me. I would repay them in kind, tenfold.

GWEN

Who was that?

ILLYRIA

He called himself Wesley.

Illyria almost says this with her normal arrogant dispassion, but she pronounces the name in a warm human tone, something close to Fred's voice. Gwen looks her over.

GWEN

Maybe you know more about caring than you think.

WHAM! Something heavy pounds the door. Gwen leaps to her feet and produces, apparently from nowhere, a one-handed Viking sword, simple and deadly. Illyria is ready for battle but spares a glance at GWEN.

ILLYRIA

You found a weapon quickly.

GWEN

Misdirection and lies. Wouldn't be much of a thief without them.

The pounding continues. Gwen reaches for the door.

GWEN

(Cont'd)

Take them out. Quietly.

Gwen throws the door open on three demons ready to pounce. Illyria's smile is hungry.

INT. STOREFRONT - NIGHT

It's an empty storefront, brick walls and concrete support structures, a little debris. Maybe some graffiti. Not a welcoming space at all.

Nina sits on the floor near a wall, her hands tied behind her back, watching. She's got a bruise on her face but otherwise looks unharmed. A MOOK DEMON stands guard near her.

Corbell is pacing around and talking on his cell phone.

CORBELL

...three more. At _least_ three more. On the west side, in an hour. Make it happen or I'll have you flayed for sport. Yeah.

He hangs up and lowers the phone for a moment, looking at Nina.

CORBELL

Stop. Clever gets people killed. Stay calm and keep your head down. You'll get through this.

Without waiting for a response he picks up his phone again.

CORBELL

Windermere? Yeah. Where are we with the tower? Uh-huh. Okay...

Corbell wanders off, distracted. We stay on a fearful and seething Nina. She takes a deep breath, focuses, slumps where she sits. Sniffs the air. Looks up at the Mook Demon after a moment.

NINA

Do you know you smell wrong?

The demon glares.

NINA

No, I mean, I know you're a demon, you don't bathe, that's not the point. I mean you smell different than the others I've met. They're not feeding you what they eat, are they?

Off the demon's increasing annoyance -

NINA

(Cont'd)

Someone who's not getting the right nutrition, there's a sour smell. Nobody else here has it. Just you. What are they feeding you?

MOOK DEMON

I eat plenty. But I could always use an extra snack.

NINA

Sure, sure, you can kill me any time. I get that. What happens after? They going to let you have a decent meal? No, of course not, you're the one who gets the crappy guard detail.

MOOK DEMON

You are pathetic and obvious.

NINA

I'm just saying, I can tell who Corbell cares about here, and it isn't you.

Corbell approaches with a rag.

CORBELL

Oh for the love of everything let me just gag her and...

Nina kicks, clumsy but effective, scoring a direct hit in Corbell's crotch. He doubles over. She rolls to the side, stands, and starts to GROWL as the mook demon advances. A bit of moonlight shines in the window.

NINA

(realizes)

Oh no. No, no, not now, no, not now...

And the last "now" turns into a WOLF'S HOWL as Nina morphs abruptly into her werewolf form and LUNGES at the suddenly overmatched mook demon, breaking the zip-tie that was holding her wrists with ease.

The mook demon gets knocked down by werewolf Nina. He struggles briefly then flops heavily on the floor as she tears his throat out.

Werewolf Nina, with a bloody muzzle, stares at Corbell for a moment, then leaps at him. He braces for impact--

\--and she's GONE, dodging Corbell, out the door of the shop.

Off Corbell's reaction -

EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT

It's the alley from the teaser, but it's been cleaned up a bit - no demon bodies, no dragon. Moonlight sets up shadows throughout.

Angel walks into frame - not hiding, but cautious, surveying the scene. He turns his head at a noise.

Werewolf Nina races through frame, a full out four-legged sprint, ignoring everything around her. She passes Angel without a glance, gone in a moment.

ANGEL

Full moon. Oh hell. Nina!

Nope, she's gone. Angel looks back where Nina came from and sees Corbell in his demonic form, ready to throw down.

ANGEL

Lost your hostage.

CORBELL

She served her purpose. Hello, Angel.

ANGEL

Have we met?

CORBELL

Once. Company staff holiday party. You looked morose and dumb and were reading off cue cards.

ANGEL

Wolfram and Hart. You were were...what, an accountant?

CORBELL

Please. Business development manager.

ANGEL

So you're just another tool of the senior partners?

CORBELL

Normally, of course I am. Tonight I'm acting in their interests but without their instructions. That's new. Never done that before.

ANGEL

Sticking your neck out. Good way to get it chopped off.

CORBELL

It's a big firm. You do what you gotta do to get noticed. Speaking of noticing things, your friend is not stealthy at all.

ANGEL

Spike, go get Nina.

Spike was skulking nearby, trying to get the drop on Corbell. He's annoyed.

SPIKE

Do I look like a dogcatcher to you? I don't have any tranquilizers!

ANGEL

Be creative.

SPIKE

Fine.

(Re: Corbell)

Leave a piece of him for me.

Spike hurries off. Corbell and Angel look at each other a moment longer.

ANGEL

We going to stand here and talk all night?

CORBELL

No.

Five demons crawl out of the shadows, heading towards Angel. Salivating. Corbell, still in his demonic form, LEAPS at the camera as we

FADE OUT.

ACT FOUR

EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT

Resume. Corbell leaps at Angel. Angel dodges.

Two demons face off with Angel. One attacks! Angel stabs the first demon through the chest with his sword, lets go of the sword, bashes the second demon in the face, then PULLS THE SWORD OUT of the falling demon and turns toward the others...

Corbell backhands Angel, heavily. Angel staggers into a nearby wall. That hurt.

CORBELL

You were the worst CEO in the history of Wolfram and Hart.

ANGEL

You wound me.

CORBELL

Not yet, but give me a moment.

Angel is grabbed and PINNED by two of the remaining demons. Angel's sword goes clattering to the ground. Corbell kicks Angel in the face, twice. He goes for a third strike...

But misses as Angel twists out of the grip of the pinning demons, grabbing a KNIFE from his coat and slamming it through a demon's chin into its head. Three down.

Angel turns to pick up his sword and is SLAMMED in the head once again by Corbell. He reels, dizzy.

CORBELL

I want to show you something.

Angel's POV: Corbell hits him in the face one more time. The alley blurs. There's the sound of large, heavy wings.

CUT TO:

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Three dead demons lie at Illyria's feet. Gwen surveys the carnage and lowers her unused sword.

GWEN

That was...efficient.

ILLYRIA

What of the healer?

They look over. Samuel continues working, undisturbed.

ILLYRIA

His concentration is impressive.

Gwen grins. Quick cut to a close-up of Samuel. He's wearing earplugs.

EXT. L.A. STREET - NIGHT

Distant sirens and animal howls throughout this scene --

Across the street, a demon makes their way down the sidewalk. In the foreground, werewolf Nina enters frame, slowly, stalking her prey.

Something startles the demon, who runs off frame. Werewolf Nina whines a bit in disappointment and sniffs.

SPIKE

(v.o.)

Hey puppy.

Spike leaps into frame and grabs a suddenly snarling werewolf Nina. The two of them, wrapped up and wrestling, barrel into the side of a DUMPSTER and fall together in a neighbouring trash pile.

SPIKE

Ugh! My coat!

Werewolf Nina is barking and snarling in Spike's face, going for his throat. It's all he can do to keep her at bay.

A heavy NET falls on them both. Spike punches werewolf Nina in the side of the head and scrambles out of the way just in time before the net wraps up the frenzied creature.

SPIKE

Thanks, Angel. I thought you were...

WHAM - Spike gets sucker-punched from behind and falls, revealing Corbell, still in his demonic form.

CORBELL

Not yet, but he will be soon.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROOFTOP

Angel comes back to consciousness, still groggy from all the blows to the head. He looks around --

Angel is on an LA skyscraper rooftop, looking down at the city. Fires, smoke and sirens. Eerie screams and howls. The city is burning. We might make out a flying demon passing through frame.

Spike is there, unconscious. There's a heavy net pile nearby that might have a werewolf in it.

Nearby, a human-form Corbell stands, looking out at the city. He doesn't stir as Angel slowly rises, trying to shake off the blows.

CORBELL

Look at all that hell.

Angel doesn't respond.

CORBELL

(cont'd)

There are two ways of changing the world, Angel. You can work outside the system, oppose it, win your little battles while knowing that nothing ever will truly change. Or you can work within the system. Adapt it. Make the world into what you want it to be.

(beat, disgusted)

You picked a third way. You smashed the system like a piece of glass. The system that kept the monsters in check. The system that kept the world turning. And now the world has stopped. Thousands are dead or dying. And it's all your fault.

ANGEL

I'd do it again. Just to piss off people like you.

Corbell turns around.

CORBELL

Don't worry, Angel. We'll rebuild. Maybe in a few centuries. But you... well, you're going to be a story they use to frighten children. Pandora, with a forehead.

ANGEL

We fight. For something better.

CORBELL

Look how much better this all is.

(Beat)

I'd let you live to suffer through it all, but I'm merciful.

ANGEL

He's not.

Spike, newly awakened, reaches up and grabs Corbell in a chokehold.

ANGEL

Today, neither am I.

Angel punches Corbell in the face, grabs him in a modified judo hold and uses leverage to TOSS him off the side of the building.

Spike rushes over and looks down. No sign of Corbell.

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

A sleeping Gunn wakes up on a couch. He's still wearing his torn clothing, but there are no other signs of any injuries.

GWEN

Hi handsome.

GUNN

Hi. Where am I?

GWEN

Ugh. Cliches. Try again.

GUNN

Give me a break. I'm trying to get oriented times three here.

GWEN

Say what?

GUNN

What the ambulance guys ask you. Your name, where you are, and what day it is. Right now I only know the first bit and that's questionable.

GWEN

You're at my place. And I've lost track of the day myself.

GUNN

I was...hurt. I was dying.

GWEN

You're all patched up.

She indicates a weary SAMUEL, who is placing a few things in a small bag.

SAMUEL

You'll send the usual fee over to my place?

GWEN

As always. You do good work, Samuel. Your sister would be proud.

SAMUEL

I should live so long.

(To Gunn)

A gezunt ahf dein kopf! [Yiddish: Good health to you!]

GUNN

Uh. Thanks.

Samuel exits. Gunn looks at Gwen.

GUNN

(cont'd)

Do I want to know what the usual fee is?

GWEN

No.

EXT. ROOFTOP

Angel and Spike are standing, on guard.

SPIKE

I still don't see him.

ANGEL

He's gone. We'll see him again. There are more important things to think about right now.

Angel walks over to the pile of netting.

ANGEL

(Cont'd)

It's moonset.

We only see her face, but a human Nina sleeps in the netting, unconscious but none the worse for wear.

Angel smiles for a moment, but the smile fades. He looks around. The fires are still there. The smoke still rises. Demons still fly over the city. It's a mess.

Off Angel's weariness, we

FADE OUT.

ACT FIVE (TAG)

INT. GWEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The gang is all here, sitting or standing awkwardly on boxes and anything in reach. They look at each other.

SPIKE

I hate to say this, but Captain Middle Management may have had a point.

Beat. No one says anything.

SPIKE

(cont'd)

We've wrecked Los Angeles. Now what?

ANGEL

We fight. It's what we do.

GUNN

Angel, we can't fight thousands of demons _one at a time._

ANGEL

Thirty seconds. One person.

SPIKE

What?

ANGEL

Somebody told me once... If you don't know where to start, take an extra thirty seconds to help one person. It only costs you thirty seconds. But that one person...might be able to help so many more.

Beat.

ILLYRIA

The math doesn't work.

GWEN

She's not wrong. LA has almost 10 million people.

SPIKE

We're undying abominations from the grave and we still can't keep up that pace.

NINA

But can't you at least try?

ANGEL

Yeah, we can. We don't have Wolfram and Hart any more but it was always a stupid bargain. We do what we can, where we can. And we look for options.

(to Gwen)

I have no right to ask you for this.

GWEN

Yes, you can have my place.

ANGEL

That...wasn't what I was going to ask.

GWEN

I'm moving out anyway. Got myself a de-luxe apartment in the sky. This place is secure, and private, and did I mention the lack of windows?

ANGEL

Gwen, we're grateful. Thank you. But mostly I wanted to hire you.

GWEN

You can't afford me.

ANGEL

You'd be surprised.

(off Gwen's doubt)

I was Wolfram and Hart's CEO. Their accountants _really_ knew how to cook the books.

GWEN

Stealing from your evil employers. Angel, there may be hope for you yet.

NINA

Hope. That's what we need.

The conversation continues, though we don't hear any of it. Pan around the whole group: tired, stoic, hopeful, determined -- ending with a focus on Illyria. She's completely tuned out the conversation, staring off into space. A single, very human tear trickles down one cheek.

ILLYRIA

Wesley...

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a little over fifteen years old. I wrote the first version not long after Angel’s finale aired in 2004. That version is gone, lost to the ashes of time and a dead LiveJournal.
> 
> Not long ago I rediscovered a text file that covered the teaser through Act II. I couldn’t find the rest, and it bothered me that it wasn’t complete, so I’ve recreated the second half from memory. It’s about 80% what was there.
> 
> I wrote this before the After the Fall comics were announced. I’m now aware of several series continuations created by fans, but I wasn’t at the time. It assumes the series canon only.
> 
> The 2020 version of the story assumes that CGI is modern and cheap. I also took out a scene with a character reading a newspaper. Otherwise, this is a modern approximation of my first serious attempt at screenwriting format.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it.


End file.
